Julie Rohan Nancy Brown Vicki Keller

 “With hocked gems financing him, he defied all scornful laughter that tried to prevent his scheme. ‘Your eyes deceive’, they said. ‘It is like a table, not an egg.’ Now three sturdy sisters sought truth. As they forged along, often over turbulent peaks and valleys, their days became weeks as many doubters spread fearful rumors about the edge. At last from nowhere, winged creatures appeared, signifying the journey’s end.” --Christopher Columbus Discovering America

1. Activating Background Knowledge 2. Questioning 3. Determining Important Ideas 4. Monitoring and Repairing Comprehension 5. Drawing Inferences 6. Synthesizing Information 7. Visualizing

 All are useful, but most effective when used in combination.  Good readers use them flexibly and call them into action when needed.  Effective instruction is the key to success! › Explaining › Modeling › Encouraging

 Introduce strategies early in the year and reinforce use throughout the year.  Display the strategies in the room.  Regularly model how to use the strategies during read aloud and guided reading.  Encourage use during independent reading.  Help students make good reading choices.  Explore different methods and activities for students to practice use.

Strategies for Fiction

 Fiction Reading › Questioning › Predicting › Plot Points › Summarizing › Making Connections

Strategies for Non-Fiction

 Key Questions about teaching reading in the content areas  Why aren’t reading skills taught more often at the middle school level?  Do all students struggle with content area reading?  What is driving the renewed interest in teaching reading strategies?  Why is middle school a good time to focus on the teaching of reading skills?  What methods can teachers use to help students become more strategic readers?

 Pre-reading strategy  Set a purpose for reading  Use some teaching techniques such as: o K-W-L o Anticipation Guide o Lecture, video, or other visual o Previewing the text

1.Read the title 2.Skim the introduction 3.Read the headings and subheadings 4.Look at the visuals and captions 5.Scan for special terms 6.Skim the summary, if there is one 7.Skim the review questions.

 Pre-reading, During reading, and After reading strategy  Words that signal importance: for example, in fact, in conclusion, but, therefore, such as  Textual features indicate importance: fonts, special effects like boldface print, italics  Expository Text Structure: cause/effect, problem/solution, question/answer, comparison/contrast, description, sequence  Finding Main Ideas in paragraphs: first and last sentences

Strategies for Digital Literacy

 Accessibility  Difficult Searches  Validity  Supervision  Distraction  Transient Websites  Typing Errors

 Choose the source that will best serve your needs and start there.  Skim and scan material before attempting to read it word for word.  Bookmark important information for later reference.  Ensure accuracy by rechecking information before reading it.

 Record bibliographic information.  Use what you already know to help understand new information.  Use encyclopedias to begin research, not model writing.  Pay attention to publication or content dates.  Look for live or video presentations.

1. Explore stories on the web. 2. Invite students to become authors on the web. 3. Participate in virtual book clubs. 4. Collaborate on Internet projects. 5. Add informational websites to your study of literature.

Questions?

Thank You. Julie Rohan Nancy Brown Vicki Keller